October 31, 1900

"I don't want to go trick or treating!"

Mary Crawley complained as her mother added the final touches on her witch dress. Her younger sisters, on the other hand, were entertaining themselves, with Edith playing with her dolls and Sybil skipping around the nursery, trying to contain her excitement. Edith was dressed up as a princess, while Sybil was a beautiful fairy

"And yet here you are, dressing up as a witch" Cora looks at her eldest daughter "You should not have agreed to join with us in the first place"

"But I thought we are just dressing up! You never said anything about trick or treating!"

"It wouldn't be a surprise if we told you about it beforehand"

They then all heard a knock on the door, which startled the girls a little

"Come in!" their mother said, observing the door as it slowly swings open

And suddenly...

"RAAAAAAAAAARRRRRR!"

The girls screamed as they saw their father jump inside the nursery, his hands up in the air like claws of a beast while snarling like a wolf and revealing his fangs. Cora, on the other hand, was surprised, but lets out a light laugh rather than high-pitched scream like them. While the two eldest children got to recover and joined their mother in laughter, little Sybil was still rather frightened and was on the verge of tears

"Oh no. Oh dear," Robert then said, immediately removing his fangs before kneeling down to her height with open arms "Please don't cry, darling. I am so sorry"

"But you're very scary, Papa" Sybil said, hiding behind her mother's back

"Papa didn't mean to scare you too much. But I am deeply sorry if you are" he explained, "Now, how about I give you a hug as an apology. Is that alright?"

The little girl then slowly nods, before running into her father's arms. Robert gently rubs her back, and kisses her forehead. Cora smiles them, to which Robert saw, and smiles sweetly in return

"Are you a vampire, Papa?" Edith then inquired

"Oh, not just any vampire," Robert smiles, then revealing a crown from behind him "I am the vampire King!"

"Vampire King? That's so silly!"

"It may be silly, but at least I came up with something to match with your Mama"

"I thought Mama is just a Queen!" Mary countered

""To which I am, indeed, a Queen" Cora clarified "I am not a Vampire Queen"

"Not yet, dearest. Not yet" Robert looks at her with a mischievous grin, to which Cora shot with a warning look before any of the girls can notice him

"Now, I want you all to be in your best behavior," she then reminded their girls "Be nice to everyone, especially to the other kids. But most importantly, have fun. Is that alright?"

"Yes, Mama" all three replied

"Now, I think we shall all be going now. We don't want to be late at the school's Halloween party" Robert then said. He then looks at his youngest, who was still in his embrace "Is it alright if I wear the fangs now, dear?" he quietly inquired

Sybil then nods in agreement, to which Robert smiled and once again put on his fangs. He also let her wear the crown on his head, which made her giggle softly. He kisses her cheek, before carrying her in his arms as they followed the others down the stairs and out of the House for a night of trick or treating


Much to their surprise, no one recognized them in the village as they arrived. All of the village children, even some of the parents and other adults are in their own costumes as well. The streets were decorated with pumpkins and scarecrows, and the lamp posts are adorned with cutouts of bats, ghosts, and witches

"Are you all ready to go trick or treating?" Cora then inquired the girls

"YES!" they all replied in unison

"Well, go on then! Join the other kids in trick or treating!"

"But how about you and Papa?" Edith asked

"We will just look for the three of you and follow along, dear. Don't worry" Robert smiles "You and Mary take care of Sybil too, alright?"

"Yes, Papa!"

They then watch as the girls took off, joining another group of village children who were also about to start their trick of treating as well. Robert then offered an arm to his wife, to which Cora takes with a smile before they walk alone in the streets

"You did very well in this, dear" Robert commented as they looked around "Very well done"

"Why, thank you" she blushes softly "I am quite surprised myself that the entire week well and smooth as expected"

"Once again, we have proven Mama wrong" he smiles proudly "Even though she will never admit it"

The two shared a laugh, and continued on their walk

"Oh, this takes me back to my childhood" Cora then said after a long moment of silence

"Did you enjoy trick or treating as well when you were young?" Robert inquired, looking at her

"Oh, yes. There were Halloween parties in both New York and Newport long ago. Most of them were for adults, but we children have our own fun"

"And that obviously involves trick or treating"

Cora chuckles softly "It certainly does"

Robert chuckles as well, and smiles "But where was it more fun to do it? In New York or in Newport?"

"Definitely in New York. Newport is where most of our parents had their balls and costume parties. New York was more of a haven for children during Halloween night" she said, and smiles back at him "How about you? How do you celebrate Halloween here?"

"Not really, no" Robert replied, "If it is just the four of us, it is just a normal day and nothing more than that. But if Cousin James arrives, rules are definitely broken left and right"

"In what ways?"

"Well, we would ask our gardeners to gather big piles of fallen leaves, and we would jump and get lost in it for hours and hours. Then, we would harvest some small pumpkins and carve it in the kitchen, before displaying it at the front door unnoticed. And when we got older, we would secretly attend freak shows in Ripon, coming back unharmed before dinnertime"

They both shared a light laugh, and smiled sweetly at one another once again

"By the way, I have a surprise for you" she said with a mischievous glint in her eye

He, on the other hand, and being oblivious as always, tilted his head and raises an eyebrow "Whatever do you mean?"

Cora then pushed her hair back a little, and showed him two, small red dots painted at the side of her neck. Robert was confused at first...until he finally realized what it means

"Cora!" he said in an almost whisper, still surprised "You're very naughty!"

"I guess I am a Vampire Queen, after all" she grins

"I suppose you are, indeed" Robert grins as well, and kisses her temple as she giggled happily in his presence


After the rather joyous trick or treat, everyone was rather surprised of the Viscount and Viscountess Downton, along with their three lovely daughters, appeared at the school's Halloween party. They only ever expected the Viscountess alone, or either with one of her daughters only attending

The school headmaster, who was in a pirate costume, approached them and slightly bowed his head "Lord Downton, Lady Downton, we are honored to have...all of you here tonight!" he said

"We are honored to be here as well, Headmaster" Robert smiles "We can all thank the Viscountess for organizing all of these events that happened throughout the week" He then looks at his wife, who was already bushing a little at his compliment

"We certainly do, milord. We are not actually expecting all five of you will be in attendance tonight!"

"Well, it wouldn't be a party for everyone if we are not here! The girls and I wouldn't want to miss all the fun"

The two then watched as their daughters, who all in a rather high sugar rush, run around and have fun with the other children inside the school hall as they chat with other parents. They were very much enjoying and are very happy, much to their surprise. Robert smiles, and looks at his wife, who smiles lovingly at him in return

Finally, as the children's bedtime came near in a matter of minutes, the families started going back to their homes

"Papa, I'm sleepy!" Edith was the first one to announce

"I'm sleepy too, Papa" Mary said almost immediately after her

"Me too, Papa..." Sybil followed, who was already yawning and rubbing her eyes

Robert sighs softly, and slowly smiles at them

"Alright then, here's what we're going to do" he said as he knelt down to them, "Mary, hop on my shoulders first, because you're the biggest among the three of you"

With his assistance, Mary was now sitting on top of his shoulders. Robert then scooped up Edith and Sybil in arms as he tries to stand back up. He almost stumbled, but luckily recovered and successfully carried all three of them

"Are you sure you can handle all three of them?" Cora inquired, a bit worried as she gathered the candies from the girls

"Yes, yes, I can manage" Robert assured her ''Now, let's get home before Mama and Papa catch us"


After a long walk, and few stops for Robert to catch his breath, they finally arrived home, where Mr. Wilson, the butler opened the door for them. The couple thanked them and quietly walked up the stairs to the nursery first

Thankfully, Nanny wasn't inside yet, so they took it to themselves to tuck in their daughters in beds, despite them still in their costumes. They gently kisses their little foreheads, and places their accessories and candies on their nightstands, before quietly closing their door

After changing into their nightgowns and pajamas, Robert slowly made his way to their shared bed, where Cora was already settled down. He slowly grins, still seeing the 'bite' on her neck

"Seems the Vampire King's bite has not fully healed yet" he then said, slowly wrapping his arms around her waist

"It still hasn't, yes" Cora grins, leaning closer to his embrace "I wonder why..."

"Maybe because he still needs to replenish his thirst" he whispered in her ear, sending arousing shivers down her spine "I heard from him that your blood tastes rather sweet"

Cora giggled softly "Oh, did he really say that?"

"Yes. And if you will allow me, I want a taste for myself, too"

She raises an eyebrow, and turns to face him "But you are not a vampire"

He then growled softly, revealing himself still wearing his fangs "You underestimated me this time, dearest"

Cora laughed softly, before letting him tower over her and crash his lips to hers